14 oktober 2015 • La Rotonde (Botanique) Brussel

The Botanique in Brussels is a concert venue with an excellent reputation. Today would mark my maiden trip to the hall’s “Rotonde”, the Dutch word for ‘roundabout’. The Botanique’s “Rotonde”, however, is a half-circle with descending and ascending seats. A small, cosy, intimate affair, and an ideal place to be for the English band Brother&Bones. Their third time in Belgium, and their first time with an actual album to promote - the eponymous ‘Brother&Bones’. A rousing, rocking, straight-on affair that surely would go down nicely with the Belgian crowd.

Starting out with the potent trio ‘Omaha’, ‘Crawling’ and ‘Raining Stone’ is a smart move. With special mention to ‘Raining Stone’ being epic and sublime. A grand song, one for the ages. And speaking of ‘Omaha’, do check out the awesome video on the official Brother&Bones website. “Put your hands up if you don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about! Sorry, I’m a bit of a mumbler” says singer-songwriter-frontman-acoustic guitar player Rich Thomas. ‘To Be Alive’ proves to be another highlight of tonight. Quite the excellent ditty. More jokes from Thomas follow: “We’ve got captain Tintin on percussion, captain Haddock on the drum kit, and Snowy on the electric guitar!” A surefire way to win over your audience: mention something domestic.

Belgium, and especially Brussels, is supremely proud of its Tintin comic, so this was an excellent quip made by the band. And it must be said, drummer Yiannis Sachinis (what an awesome name!) does look like captain Haddock, with his thick black beard.

“This is our last song, come and see us, we’ll be around, drinking Belgian beer!” introduces ‘If I Belong’, with its sizzling lyric ‘Did I make a mountain out of us/Of brick and bones and undivided trust’. And off they go. The crowd goes wild, and demands more. “And that’s why we love coming here”, Thomas explains, when the band comes back for two encores. The love seems mutual. ‘Lost As One’, the first of the extra songs, is an introspective solo affair on acoustic guitar - with intense and gripping results to boot. Afterwards, the band proves to be as good as its word, and can be found outside selling merchandise, drinking beer, and happily posing for selfies. They probably won’t keep doing this once they made it big, but fans can enjoy the personal attention for now. Here’s to a bright future for Brother&Bones.